







In English we use the present simple tense to talk about facts or things that are always true, as well as things in general. Present simple is also used to talk about a repeated action such as a habit, a hobby, a daily event, a scheduled event or something that often happens.
In English we use 'do' and 'does' as auxiliary verbs in negatives and questions and we often use the present simple with adverbs of frequency such as sometimes, always, often, never, usually, rarely, and hardly ever.
Notes for use of present simple :
In the third person, ‘s’ is added to the verb form. For example;
work --> works
run --> runs
live --> lives
For verbs that end in 'o', 'sh', 'ch', 's' and 'x', we add 'es' to the verb form. For example;
go --> goes
wish --> wishes
watch --> watches
kiss --> kisses
fax --> faxes
For verbs that end in a consonant + 'y', we change the 'y' to 'i' and add 'es'. For example;
try --> tries
study --> studies
The table below shows the different forms of present simple :
Example Verb : Work | I / You / We / They | He / She / It |
| Positive | ... work. | ... works. |
| Negative | ... don't work. | ... doesn't work. |
Questions | Do ... work? | Does ... work? |
| Short answers | Yes, ... do. / No, ... don't. | Yes, ... does. / No, ... doesn't. |
For the verb 'to be' we use 'am', 'is', 'are' in the present simple. No auxiliary verbs are used in negative sentences and questions.
Verb: Be | I | You / We / They | He / She / It |
| Positive | I'm ... | ... 're ... | ... 's ... |
| Negative | I'm not ... | ... aren't ... | ... isn't ... |
| Questions | Am I ... ? | Are ... ...? | Is ... ...? |
| Short answers | Yes, I am. / No, I'm not. | Yes, ... are. / No, ... aren't. | Yes, ... is. / No, ... isn't. |
Present Simple Example Sentences :
Positive Examples of Present Simple :
Negative Examples of Present Simple :
Question Examples of Present Simple :
| Present simple example sentences | |
|---|---|
| What do you think about him, Cate? | |
| Come on, Mike, it's not about me being home. | |
| Yeah, our room has only got one window! | |
| What's your favourite movie? | |
| Because I don't want to waste more time finding a new house... | |
| Do we have a mortar and pestle? | |
| Good point, I'm sure they don't pay that much! | |
| Hope to see you later. | |
| Yes it is, how are you? | |
| That's nice, what do you usually cook? | |
| Did you check carefully, don't we have any at all? | |
| Umm... We are married... I mean, today is our wedding anniversary! | |
| What's your plan, Cate? | |
| Are you sure she is from Australia? | |
| Well, I don't think we need to cook too many things at once. | |
| Hi girls, this is Mike. | |
| Umm, Dick is here, dear, he is the landlord... | |
| I'm calling him now then, do you want anything else? | |
| There is nothing much left to do, there are only bits and pieces. | |
| That's right, we should never forget how irresponsible my housemates are. | |